Distilling and rectifying column



E. A. BARBET.

DISTILLING AND RECTIFYING COLUMN.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 22, i920.

EJ A. BARBET. v DISTILLING AND RECTIFYING COLUMNA APPHCATION FILED SEPT.22,1920. 19427343() Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

UNITED STATES EMILE AUGUSTIN BAR/BET, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

DISTILLING AND RECTIFYING COLUMN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

Application filed September 22, 1920. Serial No. 411.924.

T o all y107mm, t may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE AUGUSTIN BAR- BET, a citizen of the FrenchRepublic, residing at No. 5 Rue de lEchelle, laris, France, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating toDistilling and Rectifying Columns, of which the following is aspecification.

Among the man types of plates which have been propose( for distillingand rectifying columns, the plates with hoods have the property ofremaining filled with the liquid during a vtemporary stopping of theoperation, and they are very much appreciated owing to this property.

In contradistinetion thereto, the old perforated platesv of the Savalletype are emptied as soon as the operation stops but they havetheadvantage of abetter working owing to a very high division of thebubbles.

It has been tried to combine the advantages offered by the two types ofplates and to form non-emptiable although perforated plates, butdifficulties of construction were met with. The problem is still morediflicult in the case when it is desired to provide cooling coilsimmersed into the reflux liquid of the plates.

The present invention relates to an improved column-plate consistingessentially of a solid disc and of a certain number of long hoodspairallel to each other, the borders of which are provided withhorizontal perforated plates.

On the other hand it has been possible to drive away all the liquid fromunderneath the said perforated plates by slightly stamping thecolumn-plate underneath them in such a manner as to form a doubleincline which leaves only a sectional passage which is strictlyindispensable for the circulation of the' steam.

The column-plate is thus provided with a series of sharp edges on whichare supported and fixed the edges of the perforated plates.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the plate.

Fig. 1 is a plan View, the left handside of the figure showing the hoodsin position whilst in the right-hand side of the figure the said hoodshave not been shown.

Fig. 2 is a section along X-X in Fig. l with all the hoods placed intheir position.

Figure 3 is a plan of a hood formedy in As shown in the drawing, thecolumnf plate A is stamped in such a manner as to present a certainnumber of longitudinal sharp edges B (four of these edges areillustrated), the length of which is limited by that of the hoods.

At both ends, a plane surface is provided with an overflow C and with adish D respectively. Horizontal surfaces are left between the inclinedsurfaces, provided with chimneys E on which long hoods F are fixed 1nany suitable manner. Perforated plates G are fixed to the said longhoods, and on the sharp edges B on which they are held in position; thesides of the hoods and the projectlons of the edges are so dimensionedthat theV plates G shall be horizontal. The chim neys E, instead ofbeing round, may be of an elongated shape and may be formed by bendingup the metal which forms the bottom of the column-plate.

In the type which has been illustrated as having four Sharp edges, thereare three long hoods and, an elongated, sector-shaped hood is arrangedon each side so as to use the whole of the surface of the column-plateand to prevent any passage of liquid to the periphery.

The Working of the column-plate according to the .present invention canbe easily understood; the vapours coming from. the lower column-platepass through the chimneys E underneath the hoods F and drive the liquidcontained between the bottom A and the plates G, through theperforations with which the=latter plates are provided. pass themselvesthrough the plates G and bubble into the liquid of the column-plate in afinely-divided state. As that section of the column-plate comprisedbetween two sharp edges gradually decreases to the right and to the leftof the axis of the hood the vapours can drive easily the liquid which iscontained in the space between the bottom of the column-plate and theplates G above the latter plates.

It will be noticed that the o'olumn-plate according to the presentinvention has the advantages of the erforated column-plates lwithouthaving thelr drawbacks, because if the pressure falls inside the column,the liquid of the column-plate does not fall on the lower column-platebut on the bottom A; it forms therefore a non-emptiable column plate.

The said arrangement of overflows, the latter having preferably anelongated form, ensures a good circulation and an equal distribution ofthe liquid to the four perforated aths.

p It has been said at the beginning of the present application that incertain cases it is advantageous to arrange a cooling coil on thecolumn-plates; nothing easier when a column-plate according to thepresent invention is used; owing to the shape of the hoods it ispossible to arrange without any difiiculty a coil H going along eachhood on each side thereof and resting on the perforated plates on whichit is easy to fix it by means of a simple copper wire passing throughthe holes of the perforated plate. Moreover, in a prior patent ofapplicant dated the 6th February 1920 for Great Britain and the 2ndFebruary 1920 for the U. S. A. and relating to improvements incolndensation in rectifying apparatus, the `reflux of the cooling liquidis used in the cooling coils of the plates; this method of operation canbe applied to the column-plates according to the present application.

A perforated plate made of copper would not withstand a long time indistilling columns, in which the liquid is always somewhat acid; theholes' would be enlarged gradually and the working of the apparatuswould be disturbed. It will be then easy to use instead of plates madeof laminated copper, perforated plates made of gun-metal or phosphorbronze.

It is also possible to use plates made of .porcelain or earthenware.

There are cases in which the acidity vof Vthe liquids renders necessarythe use of columns made either of ceramic ware, or of Volvic lava. Thelong hoods would be too fragile in that case and it will be preferableto use round hoods as shown in Figs. 3 and 4p(plan and section). Theround hoodis made in one piece with its flat circular collar.`

As to the columnplate,pits flat bottomis slightly stamped downwardsunder'eath the hood in such a manner as tovprovide a section .for thepassage of the steamwhich gradually decreases from the centre to theperiphery as shown in Fig. 1.

It is possible to weld the hoods to the column-plate.

For column-plates made of lava, the thickness of which is always atleast 5 centimeters, the carving underneath the hoods will be made bymeans of a chisel, the thickness of the column-plate being therebyreduced and the hood will be sealed either by means of sulphur, or bymeans of a cement formed of silicate of soda and asbestos powder.

Vv'hat I claim is 1. An improved column plate for distilling andrectifying apparatus, comprising a plate, elevations in the plate,chimneys extending from the plate between such elevations, in an upwarddirection to a point above the level of the elevations, hoods over thechimneys and foraminous surfaces extending from the hoods and restingupon the elevations.

2. An improved column plate for distilling and rectifying apparatus,comprising a plate, a plurality of parallel elevations extendingsubstantially across the plate, chimneys extending from the platebetween said elevations to a point above the level of the elevations,elongated hoods arranged over the chimneys in each of the portions ofthe plate between the said elevations, and perforated plates connectingadjacent hoods and resting on the elevations.

3. An improved column plate for distilling and rectifying apparatus,comprising a plate, a plurality of parallel elevations, extendingsubstantially across the plate, chimneys extending from the platebetween said eleva- 'tions to a point above the level of the elevations,elongated hoods arranged over the chimneys in each of the portions ofthe plate between said elevations, perforated -plates connectingadjacent hoods and resting on the elevations, and cooling coils on theperforated plates. i

4. Animproved column plate for distilling and rectifying apparatus,comprising a plate, a plurality of elevations in the form of angularridges extending substantiall across the plate, chimneys in the platetween 'said elevations, elongated hoods extending longitudinally inrelation to the elevations and covering the chimneys and horizontallyperforated plates extending between adjacent hoods and resting on theangular ridges.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

AUGUSTIN BARBET.

